HIGH STAKES
by J7339
Summary: Complete - A little card game that Tony has organized to determine who will get the top bunk - all they have to do is keep it quiet from Bridger.


**HIGH STAKES**

**Author Notes:   This is just a little fill in story to get me back into writing SeaQuest after such a long break.   Meant to take place at beginning of second season over who gets the top bunk in Lucas's quarters.**

Some of the crew are there not all – like Bridger – will be mentioned towards the end but for now he is not present at the game.     Just for laughs.

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The cards are about to dealt and this is how the hand will play out:

"So, are you in or not?" Piccolo asked the teenager.

Lucas thought for a minute, looking at his new roommate and trying to look for signs of being conned.   "Maybe, what are the ground rules?" replying with a question of his own.   He wasn't totally convinced that this was a good idea.   If the Captain found out about this, they would all be in deep trouble no doubt.

"We can discuss the ground rules at the table when everyone is there.  Save having to explain it twice.  Right now all you have to decide is if you are in or not and who else is going to be there," Piccolo said.

"Well, we will have to have it in one of the science labs, at the back of the boat.   Bridger hardly ever goes down there and hopefully Doctor Westphalen won't think to look for us there," Lucas said, starting to get a little excited about the whole prospect.

"Whatever you decide, but it has to be tonight.   I have to go on shift early tomorrow so there won't be another chance for weeks," Tony informed Lucas.

"Okay, I will go around to the others and tell them about it.   You get the drinks and food and organise the table.   Remember this has to be kept quiet," Lucas warned.

"I can't wait.   By tonight I will be sleeping soundly in my new top bunk," Tony jibed, knowing he would be invoking the desired reaction.

"In your dreams pal," Lucas said on his way out of the door.   It was bad enough that Bridger had assigned a roommate in the first place.   There was just no way Lucas was going to allow the newcomer to take over his room and the top bunk.    

At about 8.00pm, all the preparations had been made.   Tim O'Neill was the last to arrive, poking his head warily around the corner into the lab room, wanting to make sure that the Captain wasn't about.   

"Come on in Tim," Lucas said cheerfully, gesturing to the last vacant seat at the table.   "Did you bring your money with you?" 

"Yeah, but I really shouldn't be here Lucas.   This is payday and I can't afford to just blow it out the window on some card game," Tim said solemnly.

"Oh what, you have some girlfriend to lavish it on that we don't know about O'Neill," Ortiz shot back in fun.

"Hey, I use my money wisely that's all," Tim said in his own defence.   The guys knew well that there was no impending partner in O'Neill's life and were forever reminding him of that fact.  But he didn't care.  It wasn't as if any of them seated at the table were well off in that department either.    

Ortiz:  please, the guy was every girl's dream in the looks department and they just melted at his feet when he spoke in Portuguese.    Miguel's problem was that he never had enough money to spend on the girls.  Coming from a poor background, he usually sent most of his pay-check back home.

Lucas:  he was barely eighteen years of age.   If he had any girlfriends, they certainly didn't know about it.  If he did, the Captain and Westphalen would certainly be watching him like at hawk no doubt.

"Don't listen to him Tim, let's just get this game going," Lucas suggested.   There were four of them seated at the table, Tim O'Neill, Miguel Ortiz, Lucas Wolenczak and the new guy Tony Piccolo who nobody knew too much about.

Tony had a green visor perched on his head like the staff wore in casinos.  He had a cigar in his mouth and was happily puffing away whilst he shuffled the cards.  "Okay girls, this is how we play……….. then proceeding to tell everyone the rules that he had been taught in prison.   You learned hard and fast there and it was a place where you didn't get a second chance very often.

The other three listened carefully to Tony's version of the rules.  None of them were experienced card sharks, though Piccolo probably thought himself to be.   All had a basic idea of the game and would just let the cards tell the game.

The first hand was dealt and for the next five minutes, there was nothing but silence as they all looked at the cards they had been dealt and tried on their best poker faces.   Tony looked about them and couldn't help but laugh at the various expressions he was seeing.

This was an opportunity not just for Tony to win a bet over a bed.   But a chance to prove himself to these guys that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.   They already knew he was an ex-con and with that came preconceived notions about someone's good and bad traits.  Like it or not that was a part of his past and nothing could change the fact that he had done time.   He hoped that by trying to mix in with them from the very beginning he would fit in easier.

O'Neill looked like he had a stick up his butt the guy was so tense.  In addition to being worried about the cards in his hand, the communications officer kept glancing towards the door, waiting for the Captain or Commander Ford to pounce on their little illegal activity.  Not to mention the fact that Lucas was involved.  He just knew they would be in for it if Bridger found Lucas in their company, no matter if the game had taken place at the teenager's invitation.

Miguel Ortiz kept squirming in his seat, giving away the fact that he had nothing of great threat in his hand.   He put three down and asked for replacements.   When he picked them up and looked, he tried to look as though he now help something worth wagering on, but Tony could pick a faker when he seen one.

Lucas on the other hand was a little harder to read Tony had to admit to himself.     He would have thought with such blue eyes he would have been immediately able to tell if the teenager had a good hand or not.   As it stood now, he could not.   The kid's face was a blank.   Almost as if he had years and years of practice of hiding his true feelings.   But this couldn't be for someone of his age surely.   Someone like Lucas couldn't have much of a past to hide…….. _could__ he?  _

"Okay, Luke its up to you, your call," Tony urged.   "Don't forget, you lose and all your pocket money is all mine."

"Hah, I will take you on Piccolo," Lucas said, betting generously on only the first hand.  "Let's see you match that," he added with a cheeky smile.

"Whoa, don't go spending all your piggy bank at once there kid," Tony said, his eyes widening slightly at the size of Lucas's bet.   It looks like the kid was trying to hard from the beginning and would lose all his money in the first few hands and have nothing left for later in the night."

"Don't worry about me," Lucas said in return.   "Ortiz, your turn."

"Alright, don't rush me," Ortiz said, his brow turning into a frown as he tried to figure out what to do.  He knew he didn't have a good enough hand and suspected that the other players at the table guessed this as well.

It was another five pregnant minutes before Ortiz even looked like making a decision.    Tony and Lucas were getting frustrated at having to wait so long.    How hard was it anyway?

"Come on already, the warranty on this boat will be up before you make your move," Tony said,  blowing a puff of smoke over the table and causing the others to cough at the acrid smell and the burning sensation to their eyes.

"Do you have to smoke those things," Tim O'Neill said bluntly.   "They really are not good for your health you know."

"So sue me.   If I am going to live in this world, the least I can do is have a few comforts while I am stuck aboard this tin can for the next year.    Live a little guy, it is a free world out there now," Tony commented.

The game continued on into the night, seemingly unnoticed by the Captain and other senior crew members.  A few hands had been played out now.   Ortiz being lucky and snagging two good hands, Lucas had won three and Tony had won two himself.     Tim on the other hand was still struggling and hadn't even the slightest clue about what he was doing.

It was almost 11.00pm on the clock and everyone was beginning to show signs of frustration and tiredness.   The table was covered with bits of food and spillages from their drinks, signalling that everyone had settled in rather well and had been enjoying the night.

Lucas looked at Tony and decided now was time to pull out all the stops and win this game once and for all and call it a night.   This hand would be for the Top Bunk.

Tony had agreed to this hand being the decider, but once again taunted Lucas that he would be looking up from the bottom bunk bed.

When it came to Lucas's turn to bet, he chose a different style of approaching this hand.    He placed his cards down on the table and deliberately at his temples, as if signalling that he was in pain with a headache.  He kept his eyes towards the table and waited to see what sympathy he could conjure out of his fellow crew members.

"Lucas are you alright?" Tim asked concerned first.    After having this little secret rendezvous in the first place, all they needed now was for Lucas to get sick or hurt or something and they would really feel the wrath of Captain Bridger.

"Yeah, I just have this headache here," he whispered, keeping his voice low and soft.  "I didn't have it when we came here, but it's beginning to hurt some."

"Maybe we should call it a night then," Ortiz offered, feeling a little like O'Neill and not wanting to face Bridger and tell him that Lucas was hurting.   

"We can just play out this hand," Lucas said, not wanting to push the point too much.  "I'm fine really," he added, hoping his little winces of pain would work to his advantage.

Ortiz had already placed his bet and now it was O'Neill's turn.   Tim wasn't so concerned as if he had the money or not, his conscience was getting the better of him and he was experiencing a massive attack of guilt.

"Guys, I really don't know that I should be doing this," he tried to reason.   

Tony rolled his eyes dramatically at the more naïve man.   "Tim, it's okay really, just go ahead and make your bet."

"I don't know, we really shouldn't be……………." Tim tried to argue.

"Oh, for the love of …………, I got a note from your mother, okay!" Tony said finally, sending Ortiz into fits of laughter.   Lucas wore a grin but was try to suppress it as much as possible and carry on his lost puppy dog act.

Tim finally conceded that his hand wasn't worth anything and folded his hand, much to the disgust of Tony who was hoping that somebody would at least put up a fight against Lucas.   Ortiz had bet but Tony knew that he didn't have anything worth being concerned about.    He had a rather good hand himself, but was still a little in the dark as to how good Lucas's hand might be.

Lucas was still mostly looking at the table, occasioning reaching his hand up and rubbing at his temples.   Briefly he would glance up and give everyone at the table a wan smile and furrow his brow as if his headache was gaining momentum.

"Nothing for it, okay Luke, let's see what you have got," Tony said, wanting to end the curiosity.

"Sorry, but I have only got a pair," Lucas said as he reached up to massage his temples again.

"Boy, Luke that's too bad," Tony said in amusement, thinking he had the teenager beat plain and simple.

Just as Tony was about to lay his cards on the table, the door to the lab room opened up.   Standing in the doorway was a surprised looking Captain Bridger, a very military looking Commander Ford and a very annoyed looking Doctor Westphalen.

The guys at the table looked at each other nervously hoping one of them would suggest a way out of their imminent executions.   Just when they thought Lucas was about to come to their rescue, the trio were gravely mistaken as the teenager got up from the table and approached Captain Bridger.

"Captain," Lucas said, reaching up and rubbing his temples, giving his groans a little more empathy to them.   "I just came to see what they were doing in here.    Tony said he was going to teach me something….." he said, looking back at the murderous look he was receiving.

"Are you alright Lucas?" Bridger asked, putting aside for a moment the fact that the teenager was gambling and had been missing for the last three hours.   

"I got this awful headache," Lucas admitted, in truth now it was truly starting to form as he tried to figure out how to save his hide.  Hopefully his ploy was working.   Surely the Captain couldn't punish him if he was in pain or feigning illness.

"I bet you have, being in this smoke filled environment, forced to breath the foul air from those horrid things," Kristen Westphalen said, glaring at Tony as the offender.

"Forced!," Tony said, not loud enough to be heard by the Captain or the doctor.   _Forced…….._ he was going to do some forcing of his own, like his fist on the teenager's jaw.    He had to give it to the kid though, the whole plan was working beautifully.   The Captain hadn't even mentioned their little wayward activities.

"You care to explain yourself Mr O'Neill and Mr Ortiz," a very stern Commander Ford demanded from them, standing with his arms folded across his chest, signalling he was in no mood for games.

"Commander, seems that these fellows don't have enough around here to do.   I suggest you look at your roster and remedy that situation immediately," Captain Bridger said, trying to hide the smile on his face at the stunned faces of the three crew members.

"Oh, I think I can come up with some very worthwhile activities Captain," Ford said, looking at the three for any signs of non-compliance.   "There is work for you Mr Piccolo in the galley, helping cook for the next three weeks.   Mr O'Neill I believe Doctor Westphalen has some rather long calculations that she could use some assistance on and Mr Ortiz, the laundry is short one man this week, or should I say was short."

"You can start by cleaning up this mess in here," the Captain ordered, giving Lucas a concerned look as he put his hand to his temple again for the third time within a few minutes.

"Come on Lucas, let's find you a nice cup of hot chocolate and some aspirin for that headache.  Then you can curl up in a nice warm bed for the night," Kristen said, taking the teenager's arm and beginning to lead him out of the room.  He didn't even attempt to resist, throwing his best smile and cheeky grin back towards his condemned friends.   

"Wait a minute Captain, we don't even know who won the bet," Tony exclaimed loudly, not knowing how the kid came off looking so squeaky clean.

"Bet, did you say a bet Seaman," Bridger said, daring the new recruit to admit involving Lucas in gambling.

"Yeah Captain, to decide if Luke or I get the top bunk in his room.  That's what the whole game was about in the first place," Tony said, trying to explain part of their behaviour.

"Okay Piccolo, humour me, take a look at the cards and tell me who won the bet," Bridger said, not really wanting to be a part of this decision.   

Bridger hadn't even had a chance to talk to Lucas yet since Tony arrived to know that this was an issue between them.   He would have sooner like for Lucas to have his own quarters still or even move into the Captain's quarters now they had grown closer.

"See Luke, four threes, I win.   I know Ortiz didn't have anything and Tim already folded out of

the game.   You said you only had a pair, so that leaves me with the top bunk!" he said triumphantly.

"Oh, well then," Lucas said smugly, walking over to the cards with a grimace, not wanting to give the Captain the idea that he had some sort of miraculous recovery or anything.  "It looks like you

got me beat.   I have a pair of Queens."

Tony grinned from ear to ear as the kid started displaying his cards openly on the table.   It might

not have ended well this night, but he won the top bunk fair and square.   He was about to claim

victory when the teenager spoke again.

"And look, a second pair of Queens," Lucas said simply, unable to hide the smile on his face as 

he watched Tony's face fall to the floor.    "Four Queens.   Two pair."

Tim and Miguel were in awe of Lucas.   How did he do that?   When it came to brains, there was

just no beating this kid.   They should have known better to try and go against him the first place.

"Good one Tony, the kid only has a I.Q. higher than this crew put together.   And you decide to 

challenge him to a game of wits.    Real clever Piccolo," Ortiz said in a huff, O'Neill nodding his

head in agreement.

Commander Ford couldn't help but laugh lightly at the annoyed faces of Tim and Miguel.

"Come on Lucas, let's see to that headache," Bridger said as they headed towards he door.

"Can I stay up and watch T.V. in your quarters too," Lucas asked hopefully, adding a few extra

winces of pain for effect.

"Lucas"

"Yeah"

"Don't push your luck," Bridger said in mock sternness.

"Okay," Lucas answered lowering his head and looking most contrite.   

THE END

There you go folks – just easing my way back into SeaQuest.    Please don't hate me for not updating for so long, apart from the terrible events in November – I have had major computer

problems where I lost all my stories – some of the ideas that I had for the ones already posted were lost – some not – the ones that I lost – you will have to be patient for me to remember them again.

I had them written done so I didn't have to remember – but now they are gone.

I always love the character Tony.   I was annoyed that Ben was replaced as I liked him too – I try not to write them together with Lucas – and stick to characters true to each season – expect Kristen.

One day I will have to write a story with Tony and Ben and Lucas together – boy won't that be some lovely chaos waiting to happen.

Please let me know you are still out there 

JULES


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